I. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to turbine engines and more specifically to turbine engines utilizing a slinger type fuel injector.
II. Description of the Prior Art
In order to introduce fuel into the combustion chamber of a turbine engine, it has been found advantageous to utilize a rotating slinger fuel injector. Previously known slinger injectors comprise an annular housing having radial apertures therethrough which is coaxially secured to the shaft of a turbine engine. The slinger is disposed between a stationary fuel manifold and the combustion chamber so that as the slinger is rotated, the fuel is centrifugally forced from the fuel manifold radially outwardly from the housing into the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber housing is generally provided with a plurality of air passages which direct air channeled from the compressor of the turbine into the combustion chamber to mix with the fuel provided by the slinger injector.
Previously known slinger injectors introduce fuel into the combustion chamber in a single axial plane. Air was introduced ahead of and behind this zone. Consequently, depending upon the position of the air passages in the combustion chamber housing, fuel is mixed with air only in certain portions of the combustor chamber. Thus the concentration of fuel and air is limited to a single plane within the combustor.
In order to minimize the volume and weight of a turbine engine, it is necessary to maximize the combustor loading, i.e., minimize the volume of the combustor chamber required for a given heat release rate.
By increasing the area over which the fuel is introduced into the combustor primary zone, i.e., area available for the fuel and air to mix and burn, combustion volume can be reduced, or efficiency of combustion can be increased for a given volume under certain environmental conditions, i.e., starting and high altitude operation.
Such improvement has been effectively accomplished in vaporizer combustors by significantly increasing the number of vaporizer tubes and thus, the number of points of fuel introduction. However, such methodology has not yet been applied to slinger type injectors because of the difficulty in increasing the effective area of air and fuel introductions at the slinger injector face.
To provide the optimum concentrations of fuel and air throughout the entire volume of the combustor chamber it would be advantageous to provide a plurality of planes of fluid flow from the slinger face which intersect with planes of air introduction at a plurality of locations throughout the entire volume of the combustor.